SELENE-HORIZON | NASA Lunar South Pole Mission Illumination & Comm Planner

Landing Site Selection

LOLA / Quickmap

Curated Lunar Target or Custom Coordinates

Custom Lunar Coordinates / Map Pin

Latitude (°S is -)

Longitude (°E)

LOLA Elev (km)

Label

Tip: You can also click anywhere on the South Pole LOLA Map tab to drop a custom coordinate pin.

Landing Date & Schedule Shift

JPL Horizons

Mission UTC Date

UTC Time

Seasonal & Historic Presets

Agile Schedule Slip Simulator (Shift Landing Date)

Lunar Day Scrubber: +0.0 hrs (Day 0.0)

Landing (t=0) +7.4d +14.8d (½ Cycle) +22.1d +29.5d (1 Lunar Day)

Solar Mast & DTE Antenna Config

Solar Array Mast Height 4.0 m

Taller masts reduce horizon dip & peer over nearby polar ridge crests.

Solar Array Geometry

Min DTE Antenna Elevation Mask 0.0°

Official NASA & CSA Resource Hub

All ephemerides, LOLA elevation models, and mission contexts strictly use these 4 official space agency resources:

NASA / ASU

LROC Quickmap Open target site in South Pole LOLA/NAC view ↗

NASA / JPL

NASA Moon Trek Explore 3D LOLA DEM & slope layers ↗

NASA / JPL

JPL Horizons System Topocentric Lunar Ephemeris (coord@301) ↗

CSA

CSA Moon Exploration Portal Canadarm3, CSA Polar Rover & LEAP Science ↗

SOLAR ELEVATION & POWER SUNLIT

+1.28° Az 126.6°

Terrain Horizon: +0.42° (Clearance +0.86°)

381 W/m² Surface ~198 K (-75°C)

TIME UNTIL SUNSET POWER WINDOW

246 hrs (10.2 Earth days)

29.5d Lunar Day Sunlight: 84.2%

Max Continuous: 298 hrs Energy: 214 kWh/m²

EARTH POSITION (DTE COMM) DTE CLEAR

+3.85° Az 358.8°

Terrain Horizon: +0.18° (Clearance +3.67°)

Range: 398,420 km Direct X/Ka-Band Active

TIME UNTIL EARTHSET COMM WINDOW

184 hrs (7.7 Earth days)

29.5d DTE Comm Visibility: 52.4%

Dual Power+Comm: 46.8% Score: 78.4 / 100

Simulated UTC: 2026-11-14 12:00 UTC

360° Local Topographic Horizon Panorama (Vacuum — Zero Atmospheric Refraction)

Shows LOLA crater-rim terrain silhouette, geometric lunar sphere horizon, 29.53-day Sun trajectory (gold curve), and 27.3-day Earth Libration loop (cyan box). Hover to inspect any azimuth.

Sun Disk & 29.5d Path Earth Disk & Libration Loop LOLA Terrain Mask

Hemispheric Sky Dome

Zenith (center) to Local Horizon (outer ring)

Overlaid 360° Topographic Horizon & Solar Elevation Comparison

Scenario (Site & Date)	Coords / Elev	Sun El (Now)	Sunlight %	Max Cont. Sun	DTE Comm %	Power+Comm %	Energy (kWh/m²)	Score	Action

29.53-Day Lunar Cycle Operational Timeline (Solar Power, DTE Comm & Combined Viability Windows)

Click or drag anywhere along the 709-hour lunar day timeline to jump to that UTC timestamp and inspect Sun & Earth positions above.

Power + DTE Comm Both Viable Sunlit Power Only (Gateway Relay Needed) Lunar Night / Topographic Shadow

SCIENCE & GEOLOGY OBJECTIVES (LROC QUICKMAP / MOON TREK)

Shackleton Connecting Ridge

ENGINEERING, POWER & THERMAL ASSESSMENT

Solar Array vs. Horizon Geometry

CSA (CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY) MOON EXPLORATION CONTEXT

SELENE-HORIZON LOLA + JPL HORIZONS

Why is Landing at the Moon’s South Pole So Different from Earth or Apollo?

1. Grazing 360° Sunlight (1.54° Tilt)

2. Why Earth Wobbles in a Box (Libration)

3. Zero Atmosphere = Razor-Sharp Shadows

4. CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Polar Role

360° Local Topographic Horizon Panorama (Vacuum — Zero Atmospheric Refraction)

Hemispheric Sky Dome

Interactive 3D LOLA Terrain, Solar Mast & Shadow Ray-Caster

South Pole Stereographic Map (80°S–90°S) — Click to Set Custom Site

Overlaid 360° Topographic Horizon & Solar Elevation Comparison

29.53-Day Lunar Cycle Operational Timeline (Solar Power, DTE Comm & Combined Viability Windows)

Shackleton Connecting Ridge

Solar Array vs. Horizon Geometry

Canadian Polar Rover, LUV & Canadarm3 Integration

Why is Landing at the Moon’s South Pole So Different from Earth or Apollo?

1. Grazing 360° Sunlight (1.54° Tilt)

2. Why Earth Wobbles in a Box (Libration)

3. Zero Atmosphere = Razor-Sharp Shadows

4. CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Polar Role

360° Local Topographic Horizon Panorama (Vacuum — Zero Atmospheric Refraction)

Hemispheric Sky Dome

Interactive 3D LOLA Terrain, Solar Mast & Shadow Ray-Caster

South Pole Stereographic Map (80°S–90°S) — Click to Set Custom Site

Rapid Multi-Scenario Trade-Off Matrix (Sites & Dates)

Overlaid 360° Topographic Horizon & Solar Elevation Comparison

29.53-Day Lunar Cycle Operational Timeline (Solar Power, DTE Comm & Combined Viability Windows)

Shackleton Connecting Ridge

Solar Array vs. Horizon Geometry

Canadian Polar Rover, LUV & Canadarm3 Integration